Police in North Carolina say a woman hunting rats on her property caused a scare at a neighboring public school. The Times-News of Hendersonville reported Friday that a bus driver saw the woman and officials thought she was an armed student on school property.

So they kept students and staff inside the Balfour Education Center for about an hour until police determined she wasn't a threat.

Authorities say the woman wasn't on school property, wasn't doing anything wrong and had a rifle to shoot rats. She wasn't identified.

Sheriff Rick Davis says a call to authorities about the woman was properly handled. (AP)

Skinny Dipping at the Imperial Palace

Police nabbed a Western man who went skinny dipping in a moat ringing the Imperial Palace in a busy Tokyo business district, attracting a huge crowd, officials said Tuesday.

The naked middle-aged man jumped into the moat, then threw rocks and splashed water at two policemen who chased him in a rowing boat, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.

The police official did not know the man's name or nationality.

After an hour, the man got out of the water and climbed a stone wall only to fall into the hands of police officers who were waiting for him. The police official said the man was detained for questioning, but could not confirm if he was arrested or charged.

Broadcasters were careful to meet Japan's obscenity laws once he had climbed out of the water, masking images of his private parts with a blurry dot.

A palace official said the emperor was in the palace at the time of the incident, but it was unlikely he saw the nude swimmer. He also spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with palace policy. (AP)

Sleepy Child Support Suit

A Canadian deadbeat dad is suing the mother of his child, saying he refuses to pay child support because he was asleep when the child was conceived.

The man, who was not identified, said he was visiting the mother in late 2006 when he fell asleep, waking later to find her having sexual intercourse with him. He claimed he ordered her to stop, but she wouldn’t.

He is suing for damages related to mental distress and anxiety in addition to all child support expenses paid and payable by him.

A U.K. woman forked over a ton of cat cash to keep her feline from losing his voice.

Jean Kelly was distressed when she noticed her cat Cadbury had suddenly lost his voice. When she rushed him to the vet, she found out she would need to pay over $17,000 to repair the cat's paralyzed larynx — and save his life.

But the price was worth it for Kelly, who said, "It was never about me – it was about Cadbury and his quality of life. I know he’s not a young cat but I wanted to give him a fighting chance."

The Pilgrim Congregational Church in Weymouth is going to the dogs, and that's just fine with the Rev. Rachel Bickford.

The church launched what Bickford hopes will be weekly "Woof 'n' Worship" services Sunday when parishioners can bring their pious pooches.

Bickford got the idea from reading the Bible. She came across a Psalm that talks about "letting all living things praise the Lord" while her own dogs were at her feet. She says dogs provide so much joy when people struggle with everyday life.

Sara Diem went to the service with her Bernese mountain dog, Chloe, who is suffering from health problems. Diem says Chloe just needs a little extra blessing.

Bickford says all breeds are welcome — as long as they are leashed. (AP)

Police in Wisconsin said a man was arrested after he used a cigarette lighter while trying to siphon gasoline from a van. The man, who was visiting friends, went to drive home early Saturday but realized that he didn't have enough gas in his SUV.

Police said the man tried to siphon the gas with help from another woman, but he couldn't see how much gas was in the container, so he used the lighter to check.

A blast of fire burned his hands and caused nearby residents to call police.

Police said he and the woman were located later in a store parking lot. He was arrested for theft and negligent use of burning materials.

The woman was referred to authorities for being party to theft. Formal charges haven't been filed. (AP)

Man Shoots Self After Girlfriend Didn't Want Sex

Her refusal led to his flesh wound.

A Florida man shot himself in the arm after his girlfriend refused to have sex with him, according to police.

Jonathon Guabello, 29, and his girlfriend returned home from a bar early Wednesday morning, and when he got frisky, the girlfriend said wanted to go to sleep.

When Guabello got angry, the girlfriend ran to a spare bedroom. Several minutes later, she heard gunshots. She told deputies that Guabello came into her room and threatened her before knocking himself out cold in the kitchen.

Guabello was charged with threatening violence and firing a weapon in an occupied dwelling. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Richards' Auction Gallery had one interesting item up for sale this week just in time for Halloween: A real human skeleton.

The bones, wired together to keep them in place, were sold for $500 Tuesday. The winning bidder then donated the skeleton — believed to be that of a European man — to a forensics center for research.

Auctioneer Tim Richards found the skeleton among furniture and boxed items he collected from New Castle for the auction. The bones had apparently been someone's macabre decoration.

Tipton County Coroner Bob Nichols, after discussing the find with Richards, contacted University of Indianapolis forensic anthropologist Andrea Simmons, who examined the remains Friday. Simmons concluded the skeleton was that of a European man who was between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-5 62 inches. Simmons told Mattingly the man died sometime before World War I and was not murdered.

Simmons suggested that the skeleton be donated to research instead of being used for a Halloween prop, but Richards already had advertised that it would be sold.

Jane Harper then made the purchase and donated it to the forensics laboratory at the University of Indianapolis.

"I just felt very strongly this person needed to be in a final resting place," Harper said. (AP)